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Wednesday, November 30, 2011

This sweater was another great steal from my mom's closet. It's soooo cozy and wearing it is like getting a mom-hug all day long! I wear it year-round (I sleep in it a lot) but I thought I'd go festive today with a red skirt and scarf!

I put up my Christmas tree today, so I was feeling especially festive and threw on these adorable snowman earrings that my little brother got me! I love that they're festive, but not too gaudy.

That's a necklace wrapped around my wrist. I found it in an old box in storage and I've been trying to wear it, but it's super long, and the pearl beads are spaced out a lot, so it doesn't go with just anything. I'll figure out the right outfit soon. For now, it's a bracelet.

Lastly, the scarf. This scarf came from Wal-mart, believe it or not! It's wonderful and warm and I can't get enough of it. I love the print, and the fringe, and the color. Who knew!

Monday, November 28, 2011

Just look at these pants! I bought them this spring thinking they'd be a rad addition to my wardrobe, but I've only worn them as pajamas until now. Don't get me wrong, they are amazing for lounging around the house, but they're too cool to keep to myself. My recent shoe purchase (see my last post) inspired me to break them out. I knew they'd look best with heels, but I only have a couple pairs, and none of them were right.

Since I usually wear these as pajamas, I was careful not to wear anything else lounge-y. This is actually the shirt I usually wear to job interviews, and the belt I wear to work most days. The black blouse came from The Black Market, and I've been at a loss trying to work it into my outfits. I experimented with wearing it over just a black bra, since I was admiring lots of people wearing sheer blouses this summer, but it never worked for me. I almost did that with these pants, but then it hit me--I could wear it unbuttoned over another blouse. DUH. I'll be wearing it a lot more often now that I've realized that.

It was a bit chilly when I took these photos. Okay, I'll be honest, it was below freezing. But sometimes you've got to suffer for fashion, or at least for fashion photography. I think my nose was getting red toward the end of the session.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

It's been a crazy week. I've been working full time, I had Thanksgiving with lots of family, and of course Black Friday! Black Friday has been a dark day for me since I've been working in retail for almost five years. I never saw the appeal of battling traffic and crowds and crazy people for mediocre deals I'll probably miss out on anyway. I don't even start Christmas shopping until halfway through December!

But working in retail, especially in a mall, has put me in a beautiful situation. I take the early shift (6:00am this year, 2:30am last year) and I get off just in time to get a little shopping done for myself. I'm already at the mall so I don't have to park during peak hours, and I've been gathering information all morning about where the best deals are.

This year Black Friday happened to fall on my first full-time pay day so I decided to reward myself with a couple things I can wear at work or elsewhere.

I got this skirt from New York & Company--originally $43, and I paid less than $20. It'll be great for work or professional occasions like job interviews or funerals. :P And SURPRISE, I had to get it in a size 0! I haven't worn a 0 since I was in middle school. I wear more like a 4 or 5 these days. Does NY&C run large or does everywhere else I shop run small? I may never find out.

I'm most excited about these shoes I got at Charlotte Russe. There are not a lot of great stores in my mall, so Charlotte Russe ends up being where I shop when I'm bored on breaks. Not my favorite store, but cheap and close. They're running a blanket 30% off promotion for the weekend, which is neat I guess.

These shoes were originally priced at $50, and I paid around $30. Not too bad for a pair of heels that will probably fall apart within the year. I've been lusting after some Jeffrey Campbell Litas like everyone else and their mother, but I'm sadly too poor to ever be able to justify a purchase like that. These booties will sate the urge for a while at least.

I wore them to work today and BOY are my feet sore. I don't wear heels a lot, especially not for 9 hours straight. Maybe my feet will get used to it if I keep doing it.

I'd like to apologize for the lack of outfit posts lately. What with no money and lots of work, I've been uninspired and exhausted all the time. I'm definitely going to be updating the blog less often, but you can count on at least one post per week. Next time I'll have photos of my rad new outfits!

I've been thinking about starting a "shop my closet" store to make a little extra money on the side and clear out some of the clothing and accessories I don't wear as often anymore. Anyone interested?

Monday, November 21, 2011

EEEEEEEEK! I LOVE my new JewelMint earrings! They're amazing, exactly what I wanted. I decided to pair them with this necklace today because silver/silver blue/blue fringe/fringe seemed too good to pass up, but they looked great with all of my necklaces. I was a bit afraid to draw attention away from them with a necklace like this, but I don't think they lost too much of their power.

I've been wearing this corduroy shirt a lot, but did you happen to recognize my corset top from one of my first posts? Of course not, I didn't have any readers back then--just a little over a month ago! Anyway, the cool thing about the top is that it actually has a ruffle bottom that I've tucked into my jeans. I love corset tops, but this one can sometimes be a little too much with the bottom bit showing. So I tucked it in!

I am totally digging my new remote, by the way. It's made it so much easier to narrow my depth of field, and just look at how crisp the focus is! Now I just need to figure out how to stop making surly faces in all of my photographs. That first photo is especially surly!

Wouldn't you know, my coat from Forever21 and the JewelMint earrings I won in Rouge Fox's giveaway arrived on the same day! I absolutely love getting packages in the mail, especially when they're things I didn't have to pay for! My mom bought me this coat online because they didn't have my size in-store. I've never ordered anything from Forever21.com before, and I was pleased with what I got. Check out my new coat!

I love everything about this coat! The toggles, the color, the hood, the swing back. Thank you so much mama!

The package from JewelMint was a bit more fancy, naturally. I don't do a lot of shopping online, so I've never received a package like this. Everything was so pretty, even the mailer!

Check out the backs of these earrings! They're so comfortable, and I love the little JewelMint logo--such a nice touch. I'll be uploading a look later today and I don't think I'll be able to resist wearing these earrings right away!

Thursday, November 17, 2011

This dress was my mom's--I've admired it for years and years, and when she gave it to me a few years ago I was ecstatic! I love the colors and the pattern, but I've always hesitated to wear it out. It's a bit tight (my mom was seriously tiny when she bought this dress) and I've never been sure about maxi dresses. I couldn't resist its pull any longer, though--today it had to come out.

I think this blazer is the perfect color to compliment the dress, although I know it looks great with black as well. I layered a corduroy shirt under the blazer for extra warmth. I've been trying to be more creative with layers lately.

I wasn't sure about the knee-high boots under the dress, but I love the edge they add to the whole outfit. It doesn't hurt to have a little black to anchor me, and they're certainly comfortable.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Today my DSLR remote came in the mail! I ordered it last week in the incredibly short window of time when I thought I had money to spend. Boy was I wrong! But it was too late, I'd already ordered it. Now that I have it, there's no way I could send it back. Tonight was the learning phase, but tomorrow it's gonna get real. I've got a great outfit in mind and I'm going to have some daylight to shoot in!

After working a full day, I felt like wearing something comfortable at home. I've really come to love the way high-waisted skirts feel, so this corduroy button-down is naturally one of my favorites. I found it at Forever21 earlier this season--only around $10, if I recall correctly! As an added bonus, pockets! I don't know how anyone can wear skirts without pockets. They're a lifesaver in this colder weather and a great place to stash all my junk.

In the past I might have been wary of wearing this rust-colored sweater with the red skirt, but I think since they're both somewhat muted colors it works. Actually I think it would be fine even if they were super bright colors. I've been experimenting more with color combinations lately and it's definitely a lot of fun. I've never been one to color inside the lines.

Speaking of coloring inside the lines, I've been wearing more lipstick lately and I feel like a teenager figuring out eyeliner for the first time. I'm getting better at applying it quickly, but I'm pretty sure I looked awful at first. I've definitely been wearing this coffee color a lot. I love how dramatic dark lips look, but it doesn't draw too much attention the way some dark reds do. What do you think?

sweater/skirt/necklace:forever21 --- boots:thrifted

Yeah yeah, I know I've worn this necklace three days in a row now, but it's rad and I refuse to take it off.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Today started out kind of rocky--I got some new polka-dotted tights this weekend and the moment I put them on this morning I tore a huge run in them. Sad!

But when I got home from work I found out that I won Rouge Fox's JewelMint giveaway! I'll be receiving a piece of my choice from the site... I've got my eye on the Morning Rain earrings, but I don't want to rush into this decision... the earrings are almost sold out, though, so I'd better not take too long!

I've been hearing a lot about JewelMint lately, and I'm so glad to have an opportunity to receive one of their pieces. I was unsure at first about a site that required me to register, but it's a very simple process and makes browsing their collection way more fun. I actually really like getting personalized recommendations. Some of them fit my style perfectly and some of them are interesting pieces I might not have noticed if they hadn't been recommended to me.

Another bright part of my day was work! I've been promoted to manager of my location and today was my first day in the new position. The good news is that I'm going to have plenty of money for clothes and jewelry soon. The slightly bad news is that I'm working more often, so it's harder to snap pictures in daylight. I'm going to have to figure out some interesting ways to photograph indoors in the dark, or brave the cold dark night with my antique flash.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Today was unseasonably warm. Not crazy warm, but much warmer than it's been. It's nice to see a little sunshine and comfortable temperatures when I'm preparing for months of dull grey icy discomfort.

I still went out in a scarf, though, because this scarf is new and because the wind is always a bit chilly. I ended up changing jackets halfway through because I got so warm. Which one do you like better?